Vehicles typically include a roof panel and a side body panel that are joined together at the bottom of a flange structure extending along the mating edges of the roof panel and the side body panel. This structure creates a groove or ditch at the juncture between the roof panel and the side panel that extends along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle roof. A roof molding is installed into the roof ditch to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance and also prevent dirt and foreign matter from residing in the ditch. The roof molding can be retained within the ditch by a series of clips. The molding is inserted into the clips, and the clips can then be secured to studs (e.g., T-shaped studs) provided in spaced relation on a bottom wall of the ditch.
When fixing the roof molding to a predetermined position of a vehicle body panel, an insertion hole of the clip is arranged just above the stud. The roof molding is then inserted into the ditch and a head portion of the T-shaped stud is inserted into the insertion hole of the clip. Then, a forward end portion of the roof molding in the longitudinal direction thereof is pushed toward the bottom wall of the ditch and the roof molding is moved in the longitudinal direction while being pushed. In this way, the head portion of the stud is inserted into the insertion hole of the clip thereby fixing the roof molding within the roof ditch. With this arrangement, both the clip fixed to the lower surface side of the roof molding and the stud fixed on the bottom wall of the ditch cannot be completely viewed by a worker because they are generally hidden by the roof molding (or positioned at a blind spot). Accordingly, the fixing of the roof molding requires much skill and attention. Further, the use of the T-shaped studs can create problems with the attachment of the roof molding within the ditch. For example, there can be a height and/or angle variation between adjacent studs. This can reduce worker efficiency with respect to installation of the roof molding.